Global Champions Tour
Encyclopedia
The Global Champions Tour (GCT) is an annually celebrated show jumping
competition.The sponsors include Jaeger-LeCoultre and Eurosport
. Athina Onassis de Miranda is a patroness of the tour.
It was founded in 2006 by the Olympic gold medalist Jan Tops
and brings together the top 40 riders in the Rolex rankings, who compete in a series of shows that aim to provide 'the best in showjumping'. In 2010 the leader of the GCT rankings (see Rules below) received Euro 300'000 making it the biggest single prize in any of the three Olympic equestrian disciplines (dressage, eventing and showjumping). During this season, the eventual champion, Marcus Ehning, won over half a million Euro in total prize money over the nine shows.
Since 2007 all GCT events have been held as CSI
5*. This means that under FEI rules they are championship level events. The GCT classes are run under FEI rules but they have no part in the organisation of the series, aside from ratifing the schedule. The GCT is not an FEI series like the World Cup or the Nations Cup competitions. It was and is devised and run by Jan Tops.
In 2008 and 2009, the winner was determined in a separate final. The top 25 riders of this season overall standings were allowed to participate in the final.
In 2006 and 2007, and again from 2010 the winner is determined by the overall standings of this season.
, Qatar Racing & Equestrian Club, a GCT competition venue in 2008 and 2011, with GCT final in 2009 Valencia, reclaimed water basin in front of the Museo de las Ciencias Príncipe Felipe in the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències
, a venue of a GCT competition since 2009 Hamburg
– German show jumping and dressage derby, a GCT competition venue since 2008 Cannes
, a GCT competition venue since 2006 Monte Carlo
, shore at the "Port Hercule“ marina, a GCT competition venue since 2006 Cascais
near Estoril
, Hipódromo Manuel Possolo, a GCT competition venue since 2006 Chantilly
, Chantilly Racecourse
, a GCT competition venue since 2010 Valkenswaard
, a GCT competition venue since 2006 Rio de Janeiro
– Athina Onassis International Horse Show, equestrian facility of the Sociedade Hípica Brasileira in Rio de Janeiro, a GCT competition venue since 2009; it was previously held in the Hipica Paulista in Sao Paulo
Abu Dhabi
, Al-Forsan International Sports Resort, a venue of a GCT competition since 2011
former venues of the Global Champions Tour are: Wellington (Florida)
– Winter Equestrian Festival, Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC), a GCT competition venue in 2006 and 2007 Stud Zangersheide near Lanaken
– EU Open Masters and Future Masters, a GCT competition venue in 2006 only Markopoulo Olympic Equestrian Centre
near Athens
, a GCT competition venue in 2007 only Arezzo
, Arezzo Equestrian Centre, a GCT competition venue from 2007 to 2009 La Mandria
near Turino, a GCT competition venue in 2010
Show jumping
Show jumping, also known as "stadium jumping," "open jumping," or "jumpers," is a member of a family of English riding equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes commonly are seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics...
competition.The sponsors include Jaeger-LeCoultre and Eurosport
Eurosport
Eurosport is a pan-European television sport network operated by French broadcaster TF1 Group. The network of channels are available in 59 countries, in 20 different languages providing viewers with European and international sporting events...
. Athina Onassis de Miranda is a patroness of the tour.
It was founded in 2006 by the Olympic gold medalist Jan Tops
Jan Tops
Johannes Augustinus Petrus Tops is an equestrian from The Netherlands, who won the gold medal in the team jumping event at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain riding Top Gun. He did so alongside Piet Raijmakers, Jos Lansink and Bert Romp...
and brings together the top 40 riders in the Rolex rankings, who compete in a series of shows that aim to provide 'the best in showjumping'. In 2010 the leader of the GCT rankings (see Rules below) received Euro 300'000 making it the biggest single prize in any of the three Olympic equestrian disciplines (dressage, eventing and showjumping). During this season, the eventual champion, Marcus Ehning, won over half a million Euro in total prize money over the nine shows.
Since 2007 all GCT events have been held as CSI
Concours de Saut International
Concours de Saut International is a ranking system for the equestrian competition show jumping. All CSI events are approved by the international governing body of equestrian sport, the FEI....
5*. This means that under FEI rules they are championship level events. The GCT classes are run under FEI rules but they have no part in the organisation of the series, aside from ratifing the schedule. The GCT is not an FEI series like the World Cup or the Nations Cup competitions. It was and is devised and run by Jan Tops.
Rules
The overall standings are determined by the placement of the rider in the competitions of the Global Champions Tour. The scoring is carried out as follows:| ranking position in this competition | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| scoring points | 20 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
In 2008 and 2009, the winner was determined in a separate final. The top 25 riders of this season overall standings were allowed to participate in the final.
In 2006 and 2007, and again from 2010 the winner is determined by the overall standings of this season.
Winners
| Year | Champion | Nation |
| 2006 | Ludo Philippaerts Ludo Philippaerts Ludo Philippaerts is a Belgian show jumping rider. He is a native of Genk, Limburg, Belgium.-Career:Philippaerts is a four-time Olympian. As an individual, he ranked 4th at both the 2000 Olympic Games and the 2004 Olympic Games. In Athens, the Belgian team, of which he was a part, ranked 6th... |
|
| 2007 | Albert Zoer Albert Zoer Albert Zoer is a Dutch champion of show jumping. He owns his own business, called Zoer B.V., for breeding and training stallions, a venture with which his father, Arent Zoer, helps him.,- Background :... |
|
| 2008 2008 Global Champions Tour The 2008 Global Champions Tour was the 3rd edition of the Global Champions Tour , an important international show jumping competition series. The 2008 Global Champions Tour was the first edition of the Global Champions Tour as official series of the FEI.... |
Jessica Kürten Jessica Kürten Jessica Kürten is an Irish equestrian who competes in the sport of show jumping.Born Jessica Chesney, Kürten won several national pony championships as a youth.... |
|
| 2009 2009 Global Champions Tour The 2009 Global Champions Tour was the 4th edition of the Global Champions Tour , an important international show jumping competition series. The series is held mainly in Europe, one competition and also the final are held outside of Europe. All competitions are endowed at least 285000 euros... |
Michel Robert | |
| 2010 2010 Global Champions Tour The 2010 Global Champions Tour was the 5th edition of the Global Champions Tour , an important international show jumping competition series. The series was held mainly in Europe, one competition was held outside of Europe. All competitions were endowed at least 285000 €. All GCT events was held as... |
Marcus Ehning Marcus Ehning Marcus Ehning is a German show jumping champion, Olympic champion from 2000. He is currently ranked #2 in the world.-Olympic Record:... |
|
| 2011 2011 Global Champions Tour The 2011 Global Champions Tour was the 6th edition of the Global Champions Tour , an important international show jumping competition series. The series was held mainly in Europe, three competitions was held outside of Europe. All competitions was endowed at least 285000 €. All GCT events was held... |
||
Venues of GCT competitions
The current stations of the Global Champions Tour are: DohaDoha
Doha is the capital city of the state of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 998,651 in 2008, and is also one of the municipalities of Qatar...
, Qatar Racing & Equestrian Club, a GCT competition venue in 2008 and 2011, with GCT final in 2009 Valencia, reclaimed water basin in front of the Museo de las Ciencias Príncipe Felipe in the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències
Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències
The City of Arts and Sciences is an entertainment-based cultural and architectural complex in the city of Valencia, Spain. It is the most important modern tourist destination in the city of Valencia....
, a venue of a GCT competition since 2009 Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
– German show jumping and dressage derby, a GCT competition venue since 2008 Cannes
Cannes
Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....
, a GCT competition venue since 2006 Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo is an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco....
, shore at the "Port Hercule“ marina, a GCT competition venue since 2006 Cascais
Cascais
Cascais is a coastal town in Cascais Municipality in Portugal, 30 kilometres west of Lisbon, with about 35,000 residents. It is a cosmopolitan suburb of the Portuguese capital and one of the richest municipalities in Portugal. The former fishing village gained fame as a resort for Portugal's royal...
near Estoril
Estoril
Estoril is a seaside resort and civil parish of the Portuguese municipality of Cascais, Lisboa District. The Estoril coast is close to Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. It starts in Carcavelos, 15 kilometres from Lisbon, and stretches as far as Guincho, often known as Costa de Estoril-Sintra or...
, Hipódromo Manuel Possolo, a GCT competition venue since 2006 Chantilly
Chantilly, Oise
Chantilly is a small city in northern France. It is designated municipally as a commune in the department of Oise.It is in the metropolitan area of Paris 38.4 km...
, Chantilly Racecourse
Chantilly Racecourse
Chantilly Racecourse is a Thoroughbred turf racecourse for flat racing in Chantilly, Oise, France, about north of the centre of the city of Paris....
, a GCT competition venue since 2010 Valkenswaard
Valkenswaard
Valkenswaard is a municipality and a town in the southern Netherlands, in the province of North Brabant. The municipality had 30,871 citizens and spans an area of 56,50 square kilometers ....
, a GCT competition venue since 2006 Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
– Athina Onassis International Horse Show, equestrian facility of the Sociedade Hípica Brasileira in Rio de Janeiro, a GCT competition venue since 2009; it was previously held in the Hipica Paulista in Sao Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi , literally Father of Gazelle, is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western...
, Al-Forsan International Sports Resort, a venue of a GCT competition since 2011
former venues of the Global Champions Tour are: Wellington (Florida)
Wellington, Florida
Wellington is a village in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. As of 2006, the village had a population of 55,584 according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Wellington is part of the South Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
– Winter Equestrian Festival, Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC), a GCT competition venue in 2006 and 2007 Stud Zangersheide near Lanaken
Lanaken
Lanaken is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg. On January 1, 2007 Lanaken had a total population of 24,724. The total area is 59.00 km² which gives a population density of 415 inhabitants per km²....
– EU Open Masters and Future Masters, a GCT competition venue in 2006 only Markopoulo Olympic Equestrian Centre
Markopoulo Olympic Equestrian Centre
The Markopoulo Olympic Equestrian Centre hosted the equestrian events at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. The venue is located at Markópoulo on the outskirts of the Athens suburbs. It was completed in December 2003 and officially opened on August 12, 2004, shortly before the beginning of...
near Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, a GCT competition venue in 2007 only Arezzo
Arezzo
Arezzo is a city and comune in Central Italy, capital of the province of the same name, located in Tuscany. Arezzo is about 80 km southeast of Florence, at an elevation of 296 m above sea level. In 2011 the population was about 100,000....
, Arezzo Equestrian Centre, a GCT competition venue from 2007 to 2009 La Mandria
Venaria Reale
Venaria Reale is a comune in the Province of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 8 km northwest of Turin....
near Turino, a GCT competition venue in 2010